Bennett abandons center-right coalition talks and returns to Netanyahu’s far-right fold
In the midst of Israel’s onslaught against Gaza, the country is trying to put together a government after its fourth election in two years. Netanyahu had first shot at doing so and failed. Then Pres. Rivlin passed the mandate to the center-right leader, Yair Lapid. News reports said that Naftali Bennett and his far-right party had worked out an agreement with Lapid by which Bennett would rotate as prime minister with Lapid following him.
But guess what happened on the way to a new government? Netanyahu just happened to have started a war with Hamas. Then all bets were off. Israelis seeing their fellow citizens dragged from their cars and beaten senseless, while synagogues in Lod go up in flames put the damper on the prospect of right wing party’s like Bennett’s sitting in a government which included the Islamist Raam Party. Neither the voters of Yamina or Raam could stomach this in the light of the bloody images aired on their TV screens. Bennett crashed the center-right option today, announcing he was abandoning talks with Lapid and returning the Bibi’s fold.
Lapid has another three weeks in which he will continue to attempt to form a coalition. But his prospects are non-existent. Netanyahu’s are as well unless Bennett’s return to the far-right Likud fold encourages the required two MKs to bolt from one of the center-right anti-Bibi parties. This is unlikely. In that eventuality Israel goes to a fifth election.
But the best part of this scenario for Netanyahu is that he continues as prime minister. This is important because he is in the middle of a criminal trial facing three corruption counts. If he is convicted, he would be required to resign. However, as long as he is PM there are many legislative rabbits he can pull out of his hat to stave off such a fate. He will work feverishly like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain to salvage his career and keep him from wearing prison stripes in an Israeli jail.
As I wrote here, the current battles in Gaza served Bibi well. He gets to look like a tough guy, kills a few hundred Gazans, knocks his political rivals off their game, and stays alive to fight again. It matters little that the streets of Israel are filled with rival Palestinian and Jewish gangs searching for Arabs or Jews to beat to a pulp; or for business they can loot. Or that the defense minister had to summon, for the first time in the nation’s history, troops to patrol the streets to prevent the mayhem from spreading farther. And it certainly doesn’t matter that mothers are wailing over the bodies of their dead children. On the contrary. Israeli mother’s, if they see these images at all will say: better her than me. And that’s the cynical level to which Israel’s existence has sunk.
‘Lapid’s Center-Right Coalition Collapses After Bennett Withdraws’
In the first place, kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?
A ‘center-right’ coalition that involves the likes of Bennett?
Welcome to Planet Israel.
Commenting here just because it’s the latest post. Holy shit, Hamas isn’t stopping. They’ve launched another 250 rockets just this morning. They’re actively goading the IDF, which is currently continuing to mass troops on the border, to invade. They want this; they want a chance to shred the IDF at close range.
I have no doubt that Netanyahu actively pushed for the police assault on Al-Aqsa, probably fully wanting a Hamas response. But somehow I don’t think he planned on what he’s getting. Hamas has clearly been planning for major activity, with new weapons, for a long time. They probably didn’t intentionally engineer this situation, that’s on Netanyahu, but at minimum they were ready for a trigger event.
Israel must be shitting itself right now; Iron Dome is being bled dry just by a few thousand mostly crappy homemade rockets. Hezbollah is definitely taking serious notes right now. If Israel even looks at Lebanon funny, Hezbollah would have cause to take them apart.
@ Soredemos: I wouldn’t get as excited as you seem to be. Hundreds, if not thousands of Gazans could die if this goes any farther. And in the end, no one wins and everyone loses. And Palestinians lose most of all. NOt that I fault Hamas for defending both its territory and Palestinian rights. But I think the entire thing is a bloody mess.
I’ll admit I’m excited about it, because it is exciting. That doesn’t mean I approve of it. A lot of people are going to die. But I’m also not surprised by it; you can only abuse a people so much before they actively fight back, even if they’re completely outmatched.
Netanyahu really seems to have unwittingly walked into a hornet’s nest and has lost control. His government probably can’t back down now even if it wanted too, the voters wouldn’t stand for it.
Latest I’ve seen is that the West Bank al-Aqsa Brigades are saying they’re going to join the fight, Hezbollah is claiming Israeli security killed at least one of its members, and someone in Syria is launching rockets. And Israeli security has apparently gunned down a bunch of West Bank protestors.
You claim that Netanyahu started a war with Hamas. Where’s the proof?
You claim that cruise missiles target Tel Aviv, and again, there is no proof.
I did see one low trajectory artillery rocket strike Ashkelon. Is that what your talking about?
Conspiracies. Cover ups. Fake news.
I don’t know why I bother.
@ Mighty: Hamas rockets have struck many communities in and around Tel Aviv (Lod for one). Apparently, either you don’t know Israeli geography or you’re full of S*t.
I often say the same thing when I read the garbage you hasbarists publish here.
Cruise missiles are, “..capable of travelling at supersonic or high subsonic speeds, are self-navigating, and are able to fly on a non-ballistic, extremely low-altitude trajectory”.
Extremely low-altitude.
What I saw (video) slam into an Ashkelon apartment building was an artillery rocket flying at low altitude, and not a cruise missile. The low altitude trajectory of an artillery rocket may have confused your source as it resembles the low altitude trajectory of a cruise missile.
Anyway, no one but you is claiming Hamas cruise missiles are active. Why would the military censor cruise missiles but allow publishing Hamas suicide drones? Maybe your source knows.
I’ve been to Lod several times to admire the archeology and history.
Richard. Have you visited the Lod khan, the Mamluk (Jindis) Bridge or the inspiring Church of Saint George?
Sadly, rioters attacked the Lod Mosaic Museum the other night but only broke windows, thank heaven.
“Full of S*t. Garbage.”
Why are you so hurtful?
Richard. We are all but travelers in this life.
Nothing is lasting, so why to hate and insult?
I hope you find some peace while you are here.
Peace and Love.
@Mighty: I did not say that every missile fired from Gaza was a cruise missile. I did not say that every missile that hit an Israeli target was a cruise missile. So there goes your argument. But nice try.
Why am I so hurtful? Aww, did we hurt your feelings? Imagine the real physical hurt of 250 murdered Palestinians. That’s real hurt. Your wounded pride? Not so much.
And as for finding peace, it would be much better for you to offer real peace to Gaza by getting your f*ng boot off its neck.
Mark Rutte Understands Israeli Colonialism
I am very concerned about the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. It is unacceptable for Hamas to randomly fire rockets at the civilian population. The Netherlands supports Israel’s right to self-defense, within the limits of international law and proportionality.
Justice Minister Benny Gantz speaks with Facebook and TikTok Executives: ‘Extremists are spreading disinformation and incitement.’